"When we reached Siam, the ruler there would not allow Ko Thah-byu to proceed. He said, that were we to go on to the next town, the king would call him down to Bankok, because he was an Elder. So he had to return, but I was permitted to go on, and I preached and found some that listened."

When Mr. Boardman went up to Maulmain to take charge of that station, in April, 1830, Ko Thahbyu accompanied him, and soon after his arrival, in company with Ko Myat-kyau, a Taling assistant, he left town to preach in the Karen jungles as he had done at Tavoy. In July, Mr. Boardman writes; "A month ago this same person who speaks Karen tolerably well, set off in company with Ko Thahbyu to visit the Karen settlements up the river. I gave them a large supply of books and tracts for distribution. Four days ago, they returned delighted with their tour; the Karens had received them in the same manner as those in Tavoy had previously received Ko Thah-byu. Many of them listened with the most encouraging attention to the message of redeeming love. Books were most eagerly received both by those who could read and those who could not; 'For' said they, we will ask others to read them to us.' Long before the close of their tour, their supply of books failed, and Ko Myat-kyau was compelled to give away the books from his own private satchel. On their return five Karens accompanied them to town, four of whom profess to be

decided in embracing the gospel, and have applied for baptism; but though I believe I should get a unanimous vote in their favor from the whole native church, I feel inclined to delay their baptism for further proofs of sincerity and steadfastness."

When Mr. Boardman returned to Tavoy in November, he was again accompanied by Ko Thah-byu, who, on their arrival, immediately departed for the Karen settlements to announce their return. Mr. Boardman in his last journal, under date of December 16, writes; "In the afternoon, Ko Thah-byu arrived, with about forty in his train, all of whom, he said, had come to receive baptism. It appeared, that there were in the company all the disciples, except the two who had previously visited us. So that we have now met with each one of the thirteen Karen disciples; and a large number of others who wish to be baptized. How pleasing is our interview. But I am too feeble to describe it."

CHAPTER IV.

Ko Thah-byu's successful labors.-Style of preaching.Scene of his successes.-Shades in his character.-Ignorance.-Love of knowledge.-Passion.-Habits of prayer.

FROM the time that Mr. Boardman became unable to labor, to more than a year after the writer of this memoir joined the mission, with the very important exception of Mrs. Boardman's invaluable and indefatigable labors with the people when they visited town, the whole watch care of the church, and the instruction of the inquirers, devolved on Ko Thahbyu; and the numbers that were baptized within this period afford the best comment on his labors.

During the rains of 1831, he taught a school, as he had done the previous year, near Tshiekku, where the principal part of the Christians resided; and his diligence in this department of labor was as conspicuous, as in every other in which he engaged. Some of his pupils at the close of the school could repeat verbatim whole Burman tracts.

Early in 1832, accompanied by Ko Thah-byu, I made an exploring tour through the province. We stopped about noon the first day at Shen Mouktee,

an old walled town, but reduced to an inconsiderable village. This town is remarkable for containing the most famous idol in the province, it having been found (such is the received tradition) floating up the river on a peepul log, which stopped opposite the town; and the little brass idol, from being a few inches high, has miraculously grown to the full size of a man beneath the spreading peepul, that sprung from the log on which it was found. Sometimes, when war or pestilence was approaching, it has been known to weep and moan. These, with other equally veracious legends, draw to its shrine all the piety of the province; and once a year, the inhabitants of Tavoy have a fete for several days, when nearly the whole population make a pilgrimage to this most holy place. The occasion had passed, but some of the most devout still lingered there; and while the Burman assistant and myself went round to some neighboring villages, distributing tracts, I left the old man to rest himself in one of the zayats, supposing that, as natives usually do, he would lie down to sleep. I was surprised, however, on my return to find him surrounded by a large congregation of Burmans, whose attention seemed to be rivetted on his flashing eyes, less, apparently, from love, than from an indescribable power, that may best be compared to the fascinating influence of the serpent over an unconscious brood of chickens. The first sentence I

heard on coming up, was, "Your god was a black kula."* The words were uttered with such a peculiar expression of countenance, that the events of a dozen years have done nothing to efface the impression from my memory. "If ever a man hated idolatry," observed one of the brethren in conversation, "Ko Thah-byu did." Now, were I able to throw on canvass Ko Thah-byu's countenance at that moment, as it exists in the picture gallery of my mind, every one that looked on it would go away and say, "If ever a man hated idolatry, Ko Thah-byu did."

On the evening of the fourth day we were, for the first time, in the vicinity of Karens at Ka-nyen, and, though exceedingly fatigued, he requested permission to go and look up his countrymen. In like manner when we came to Pai, the next stage, he could not be easy to rest in the Burman village over the sabbath, but must go up the river to preach to the Karens. So it was through the whole journey. If Karens were accessible, no fatigue, no obstacles, would prevent his seeking them out; but if not, he would attack the Burmans and their idolatry most unmercifully, utterly heedless of the ridicule, that they would sometimes heap upon him, for being an ignorant Karen. At Palau, near the southern boundary of our journey, he was left a day or

* That is," a black foreigner."